Toronto walks back bag ban

Toronto walks back bag ban

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to shelve its plastic bag ban rather than contend with lawsuits from the plastics industry.

According to the Toronto Star, the city enacted a five-cent fee on bags in 2009, which the City Council voted to rescind last summer following disagreements over where the money generated from it should be directed. Around the same time, the council also adopted a surprise measure to ban plastic bags outright beginning Jan. 1, 2013.

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association and the grocery lobby cried foul. Claiming that there hadn't been adequate opportunity for public feedback, these groups prepared for legal action. Now, on the advice of the City Attorney, Toronto has withdrawn its ban.

Following the most recent action by City Council, there are no restrictions on bags at all. However, the issue could resurface. The Toronto City Council also voted to ask staff for a report due next June on measures to reduce plastic bag use.